Last few days...

Trenching for the Rain

April 25 - White Sands to O'leno State Park at High Springs - 45 miles. The day was short so I drove the motorhome and then biked the route backwards to meet with the group. We got rained on but nothing like the rain that came down in buckets by late afternoon. We were so glad that we had a short day and not caught in the downpour. Next to us at the campground was a 40+ foot fancy motor coach driven by two gals. After a shower, I walked over for a tour and we ended up drinking wine, talking and laughing. It was nice having a "girl gathering" especially in the pouring down rain. Russ managed to get another Corn Snake to skin, a fairly large one this time. He said Mike was so excited he was jumping up and down and waving his arms over his head in the roadway as he rode up to them. Mike thought the snake was dead, but it still had some life in. So Russ had to dispatch it and then skin the poor thing.

April 26 - O'Leno State Park to Hawthorne - 60 miles. I had the first shift driving so I had time for another visit with the gals. Good thing that Dawn drove last because the campground that we had booked was a real dive. (Porta pots and no showers). So she franticly tried to find another one. We found a nice one 20 miles down the road, which had a warm pool with "noodles" to float on. In Gainesville we got onto a nice 16 mile bike path to Hawthorne. Wouldn't it be nice to have a national coast to coast path without any cars. One big rails to trails express way. "Dream on", as they say.

Counting Down the Days

Lady Slipper along the roadway in Florida

One hundred year old tobacco barn along the route

Turtle Log

Russ skinning his road kill

April 22 - De Funiak Springs - Sneads (Three Rivers State Park) 94 miles. It worked out best for me to drive the whole day on the freeway and the others biked. According to Russ, nothing to exciting, just hot, humid and headwinds. They did bike around the lake which was surrounded by beautiful homes.

April 23 - Sneads - East of Tallahassee - 98 miles The plan was for us gals to switch riding at the half way point because neither of us care to do close to a century ride. The only reason why the rides are so long at this point is that camping is rather scarce. However, Russ broke a spoke at around 24 miles and luckly Dawn was able to make a detour and met us on a country road. So that Russ wouldn't miss out on the miles, we put his bike seat on my bike and he rode the rest of the route. Dawn and Mike switched onto the tandem bike to join him. From there I drove the 70+ miles to the campground, unhooked the car (a feat that is not easy) and drove back into Tallahassee to a bike shop.

What happened is that Russ heard a snap and then his back tire just jammed into his bike frame. He didn't know what was wrong except his back tire wouldn't rotate. At that point, I thought the bike was toast! The first bike shop that we called thought maybe it was a broken axle based upon our description of what happened. However, it ended up being a broken spoke and the bike shop was able to fix it right away. Because of all the delays and such long milage, the bikers didn't get into camp until close to 7 pm. (Maybe I had the better day after all).

April 24 - Tallahassee to White Springs - 81 miles. It rained on us a little last night and we woke up to a cloudy humid day. The original plan was to switch driving half way but Dawn decided not to bike. About two hours into the ride it started to rain hard so we called Dawn and asked her to pick me up at the halfway point. When we reached the half way point the rain had stopped and the sun was out. But I decided to jump into the motorhome and hitch a ride to the campground. That might have been a good choice because it is almost 4 pm and the guys still have not arrived. They arrived around 4:30 pm (another head wind day) and Russ's big find for the day was a dead corn snake. It was dead when he saw it on the road and he stopped and skinned it. He said he wants to make a head band for his cowboy hat. He has spent the past hour on the internet looking at how to preserve it. Now he has it in a baggie with lots of salt. Speaking of road finds, so far 53 bungie cords (total length attached to each other equals over 45 yards) one knife, scissors, pliers, saw, hammer, reflectors, sunglasses, cup holders, antlers, dew rag, plastic flowers and now a dead snake! Our little cubby under the motorhome is stuffed with everything he has collected.

Today is Saturday and we plan to reach St. Augustine on Tuesday so we are happily counting down the days. (170 miles and counting!) I think all of us are ready to reach the final destination.

Animals along the route

We have seen lots of deer along the route.

Unfortunately, many have been road kill. This one visited our campsite.

A friendly shop-keepers cat taking a break.

Butterfly in Texas

This is Gus. The resident turkey at the Oakley Plantation.

When you got close, he strutted his chest and thumped his feathers.

We finally saw an alligator in the wild at the state park in Alabama.

The locals call him George and he can be seen daily swimming across the lake in front of the campground.

Florida at last

Entering Florida from Alabama along the scenic highway.

The type of houses on Dauphlin Island

April 16 - Perkinston, Mississippi to Gautier (Go Che) - 62 miles. I didn't have to, but I did, take Denise's rear wheel to start my ride today. So she made the "BIG" sacrifice for her "One and Only" so he could ride. What a Woman! We had to go off route today because of accomodations. Could not find a campground on route. Stayed in Shepard State Park and we were eaten alive by the biting nat's, "NoSeeum's", because you don't see 'um until "Nowyoufeelum". My legs look like I have the measles and itch like he-double-l. On the ride into Shepard, which I missed for lack of attention, I ask directions to the park from a gentleman rebuilding his home after "Katrina". It had to be on pilings 19 feet high to be above a 17 foot storm serge as set by FEMA. He didn't like all the regulations and red tape he has gone through to rebuild his home. Few kind words for the government in his vocabulary.

April 17 - Gautier, MS to Gulf Shores, Alabama - 74 miles. Left the nat infested land of Shepard State Park for the cooler gulf breezes of "Sweet Home Alabama" I hope. Hot and muggy today. A store clerk told me it might reach 90 degrees, which did not make my day to that point. We took a bridge onto Dauphin Island and a ferry across to the gulf shores. The girls drove the motorhome around Mobile because it couldn't go across on the ferry. The guys saw their first alligator today. Both Mike and Russ saw it at the same time so it is a wash on the milkshake bet. We are staying at a nice state park in Alabama. It is a very touristy area (bet it is packed at spring break) with sand dunes, boardwalks for beach access and white sandy beaches. We actually will be here for a few days.

April 18 - Dauphin Island - 50 miles. Today Russ and I took the day to bike Dauphin Island. It is a barrier island off Mobile Bay. It was so interesting to see. Houses are built up on stilts and access is by ferry 20 miles from Golf Shores. We spend the whole day just biking the island, again all white sandy beaches. (Wish we had white sand on Washington beaches) One of the highlights was going in an "Open House" and chatting with the relator about housing and life on the island.

April 19 - 20 - Gulf Shores, Alabama to Holt, Florida 87 miles. It was planned that I would drive the motorhome but at the last minute, we had mechanical problems so Dawn and Mike stayed to get things fixed and I rode with Russ. Most of the ride was along the scenic highway which follows the Gulf of Mexico. What white sandy beaches and high rises along the shores. We stopped in Pensacola to have lunch with Dave Flaherty who worked in Yakima and is now the Parks and Recreation Director for Pensacola. It was great seeing him again. Some of the houses along the way were pretty spectacular. We pulled into Holt late and Mike came and shuttled us back to the Gulf Shores State Park because the motorhome repairs took all day. Then the next day, Mike and Dawn rode the route and Russ and I moved the motorhome. Russ finally got a chance to drive and I think he realized how stressful it is driving such a long rig. Still the 3 H's: Hot, Humid, and Headwind.

April 21 - Holt to DeFuniak 49 miles. Last night we stayed at a really nice state park. It was along a river that is a popular canoeing spot and white sandy beaches. I don't think I have seen such white sand. And for once, the "no see'ems" bugs didn't eat us to death. The ride was along highway 90 all day but it did have a good shoulder. We got into camp around noon and had the rest of the day to relax.

We weren't long in Alabama but what we did see was really nice. The state parks in both Alabama and Florida seem to be really nice. And of course everything is green because of the humid climate. That's all for now.

Mississippi Pictures

Picture of a cotton mouth snake right outside the bathroom and the guy who chopped his head off

in our campground in Wiggins, Mississippi.

This guy and his cockatoo out for a stroll in our campground in Gautier, Mississippi.

The bird travels with him and is 15 years old. He said he has had it since it hatched.

Entering Mississippi

Riding in Louisiana

30 pound bags of crawfish just harvested

Boat setting traps for crawfish

April 9 - DeRidder to Ville Platte - 79 miles. I took the first shift driving and pulled out following the instructions that the guys had written out for me. After about 30 miles, the names of the towns were not what was written. I soon discovered that I was on the wrong highway going the wrong direction. But so were the bikers. I was able to turn around and head back and soon found the bikers and waved them down. We carried the bikes across the four lane highway and loaded them up to return back to the starting point of the day. We finally got going the right direction and all was well. I waited for them in a small town called Oberlin where there was one cafe. I spent the next 2 hours talking with the locals and even tried their gumbo soup. (good but spicy). They told me that in their town it was real cajun cooking and the owner, and cook, learned to cook before he could walk. All his recipes were from his mother and grandmother. He said that the further south the recipes are "booked cajun". It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about but he soon told me the difference. He was so nice that he gave us 4 serving of peach cobbler, made fresh that morning, and wouldn't take any money for them. What a delight to spend the morning chatting with locals. The ride was also a pleasure and we learned more about how crawfish are harvested. They set traps and harvest once a day. Each trap gets about a pound. The guy we talked to gets about 1000 pounds a day from his field. He said his father has so much land that he gets 3000 - 4000 pounds a day harvested. What a cash crop. When not harvesting crawfish (they are seasonal), the fields are then tilled for rice production. Flat and head winds.

April 10 Ville Platte to Simsport - 75 miles. Dawn and I together drove the motor home to St Francisville which will be our home for the next few nights and the closest campground. We had to drive down toward Baton Rouge to get there to avoid a ferry crossing (the motor home and car were to long for the ferry). Then I took the car to pick up the guys at Simsport which was another 1 1/2 hour drive. We got to cross in a small ferry and they only charged $1 and the return trip was free. There was an older gal selling roasted and boiled "goober peas" (peanuts) to the cars waiting in line for the ferry. We tried the roasted and they were pretty tasty. Also sampled the boiled peanuts and they tasted real mushy. What a hard way to make a living. Again the guys said the ride was flat and the usual head wind.

April 11 Simsport to St Francisville - 55 miles Dawn drove the guys back to Simsport (another

1 1/2 hour trip) to the starting point the next morning. I took the day to bike around the area of St. Francisville and visit the Audubon State Historic site and Oakley Plantation where James Audubon lived in 1821 as a tutor to the Oakley's young daughter and is where he painted 32 of his Birds of America drawings. The Oakley Plantation was well preserved and gave you a sense of plantation life. At its peak, (early 1800's) it was a 3200 acre cotton plantation and had 250 slaves working the plantation. It is amazing that it survived the Civil War so intact. I also biked into Jackson to another state historic site called Centenary. Centenary was site of the College of Louisiana and was established in 1825. It also had some well-preserved building. Again its flat and head winds as usual.

April 12 - Rest Day - We spent a great day visiting the Rosedown Plantation which was another well-preserved plantation, a splendidly restored example of antebellum opulence. 3400 acres and close to 500 slaves at its peak. Not only was the main house something to see, the gardens were beautiful. At one point, the gardens, over 26 acres, were one of the top gardens in the United States. (It may still be). We then spent the rest of the day on a walking tour of St Francisville. The town has a large historic district with many historic homes. St Francisville is at the heart of Louisiana's plantations and I would have enjoyed visiting others, had we the time. We also tried our first PoBoy Shrimp sandwich along with deep fried pickles and sweet potato fries. We are finding folks so kind and polite and also seeing a lot of poverty. It really makes you appreciate what you have in life. It seems that every other home is a 50 to 60 foot mobile and not in the best of condition.

April 13 - St Francesville to Easleyville, LA - 50 miles. I drove the motor home to our destination and then hopped on my bike and rode out to meet the guys biking. Easleyville was just a stopping point with one small market that seemed to be the local stop and hub of the area. I am finding the scenery to be the same day in and day out now. Everything is green, due to the humidity, areas of forest, farms and some large homes. It appears that there is a huge split between those that have money and those that don't. Same flat roads with head winds.

April 14 - Easleyville to Bogalusha, LA - 60 miles. We are right on the border of Louisiana and Mississippi and in fact we are camping in the town of Poplarville, MS. It didn't take us long to cross Louisiana. Scenery is about the same, green, lots of trees and huge grass lawns. Everyone seems to own a ridding mower. The terrain is starting to change to rolling hills. Thats what other bikers heading west tell us. We'll soon find out for ourselves.

April 15 - Bogalusha to Wiggins, Mississippi - 60 miles - Dawn shuttled us back to Bogalusha and we biked back to the campground in Poplarville. I then drove to Wiggins and the others biked. When I arrived at the campground I went down to take a shower and when I came out of the shower there was all this comotion going on. Come to find out there was a water moccison or cotton mouth snake right outside the shower house. Lucky for me, this young guy who lives here got a big pvc pipe and chopped off his head. It was still squiggling around without its head. I ran and got my camera and got a shot. We have been hearing about these poisonous snakes but had not seen one. The folks here said this is the first one they had seen and were surprised that it was by the restrooms. Lets hope we don't see anymore. We do however, have a bet on seeing an alligator. The folks here also haven't seen one in the wild. The first one to spot an alligator gets a milkshake. Now after seeing a snake, I am not so sure how I would react to a live alligator. Last night in the shower a frog jumped out of the shower curtain and scared me half to death. Better leave well enough alone. Russ also saw a snake today, however it was just a common black snake. The ride was as advertised, rolling hills and the same ol' head wind. I (Russ) believe that riding west to east in an "El Nino" year is a bad mistake. As I told Mike yesterday when he ask about directions, I stated that "We just turn into the wind and we couldn't go wrong."

We have noticed how many folks live full time in the campgrounds that we are staying in. Today I found out why many of them are there. It is because of Katrina and many people lost everything and can't get back up on their feet. This one gal told me that all the news was about New Orleans but actually it really struck hardest in Gulfport, Mississippi and left most homeless. We will be on the coast in a few days and I am curious to see if they have rebuilt.

Still Crossing Texas

Our waitress showing us how to suck out the heads of crawfish

Cowboy holding up the "little critter"

Celebration ending the finish of Texas

(22 days crossing, including rest days)

I didn't realize that crossing Texas would equal about 1/3 of our bike trip. Parts are very beautiful, ranches are huge and the wildflowers are in bloom but now we are all anxious to be done with Texas and see new sights. The past few days have been more of the same.

April 4 - Bastrop to Burton - 77 miles. The highlight of the day was biking through Round Top and Warenton where they are known for their antique markets. We just missed the action by a day but there were still many vendors in town. Had we known, we would have planned to arrive a day earlier and see all the sights. Twice a year the towns turn into a "tent city" with thousands of sellers. What little we saw was impressive. We stopped the ride in Burton and had to drive a good hour or so to the state park to camp. The park was on a lake and the bugs were unbelievable. In the morning when you went into the restrooms everything was covered with bugs. (I mean that you could not even see the white sinks and toilets) I felt sorry for the parks crew who had to clean each day. Toilets, sinks, floors; it was unreal.

April 5 - Burton to Navasota - 38 miles. We got a late start biking because we had to drive back to Burton where we ended the day before. Once on the road we managed to stay on backroads with little traffic. The highlight was biking through Independence, Texas and seeing all the historic sites there. Sam Huston was big here along with the original site of Baylor University.

We camped at a city park and Sue and I rode into town to see the sights. Many beautiful old homes. I rode all day and Dawn drove.

April 6 - My turn to drive from Navasota to Pumpkin where we stayed at a nice quiet private RV park. The guys rode 58 miles. Got into camp early and it was a nice day to just catch up on laundry and reading. Sue and Bob left us to drive to Houston to fly home after 10 days of biking. It was nice having them along.

April 7 - Pumpkin to Silsbee - 84 miles. Dawn and I changed half way. Today we rode through what is called the Big Thicket. Trees and brush so thick that it used to be a handy hiding place for outlaws and smugglers. During the Civil War, this area became a refuge for service dodging Texans. The Confederate Army regularly sent in squads to look for these men, who became known as "bushwhackers", a term that survives today. At one time, the Big Thicket boasted nearly every variety of hardwood and pine native to southern Texas, but lumbering has greatly depleted the timber. Today, much of the area is protected as a National Preserve. Long stretches with little traffic and no towns.

April 8 - Silsbee to DeRidder - 78 miles. We finally crossed into Louisiana. Sprits are better now and the guys passed the 2000 mile mark around Bleakwood, Texas. The highlight of the day was going out to eat crawfish, a Cajun delight. We learned that crawfish are harvested only in the spring (everyone here eats crawfish on Good Friday, guess you put your order in early) and they are boiled in Cajun spices. They came on a big tray with a tin can bucket to put the heads and shells in. We learned how to twist the tails off which is the part you eat (they taste like lobster but way smaller) Most of the locals also suck the stuff from the heads. It was really fun and messy and your lips burned from the spices that they boil the crawfish in. You would not believe all the beautiful azaleas in bloom this time of year. They are huge, mostly reddish and are seen everywhere. Again, Dawn and I shared ride time which works out really good for us.

Photos tell the story

Taking a breather in a small town in Texas.

Some days towns are few and far between making water stops hard to find.

Group shot at the Alamo. Enjoying a rest day.

I started taking shots of ranch signs in New Mexico and have added to my collection through Texas.

This is just one example. The signs are wrought iron and are really fancy usually at an entrance gate to the ranch.

Bikers taking a break at our campsite along a river.

Russ and Mike jump right in after a long ride.

We have now tasted over 19 different flavors of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. We rate them on a 1-5 scale with a 5 being "eat every day". So far the top picks are New York Super Fudge (we have some chocolate lovers), American Dream and Creme Brulee. Our lowest rating, so far, goes to Mission to Marzipan.

When the guys don't get enough ice cream, they head into Dairy Queen for more.

Texas Hill Country

Cowgirls in San Antonio

Fields of wildflowers

Texas Longhorn

March 31 - Kerrville to Blanco - 72 miles The group got rather separated today but everyone ended up at the final destination. When I was driving the motor home a big turtle was in the roadway. (I missed it) The Texas Hill Country is beautiful but true to its name. It has warmed up since we entered this area. Huge ranches, longhorn cattle and long roads.

April 1 - Rest day in San Antonio - Today we visited the Alamo and the river walk. We even tagged up with Andi and charles who just finished a week biking the hill country. In fact their bike trailer broke 6 miles out of town and Russ was able to drive to pick them up and transport them to their Bed and Breakfast. We now feel like real cowboys and cowgirls as we each bought cowboy hats in San Antonio.

April 2 - Blanco to McManan - 73 miles. For backroads there sure was a bunch of traffic and no shoulder which made for tense riding and driving. It is hard to describe the fields of wildflowers. Guess we came at the right time.

April 3 - McManan to Bastrop - 29 miles. Today was a short day because of our camping situation over Easter Weekend. (all the state parks are full) It has gotten hot and humid. Our tent was wet when we awoke. No wonder things are so green here. But the highlight of the day is stopping at a chili and BBQ cook-off. I had no idea that Texans take BBQ so seriously. We talked to one guy who goes to about 20 cook-offs a year and they have real get-ups to cook with. You can enter chili, brisket, chicken and ribs. They are all trying to qualify for the champion cook-off held somewhere in Texas. You have to get so many points in a year to qualify for the championship. We were there early in the day before the judging but they told us to come back later for samples. (Doubt if we will since we are well past there now.) They sure did look like they were having fun though and I bet the food tastes great.

We have been 16 days so far in Texas and it looks like we will be another 5-7 days before we cross into Louisiana. Hot and humid makes for tuff rides and long days. We welcome a breeze (head or tail).

More Roll'in

Statue at Fort Davis

Mike with one of his road kills

March 27 - Langtry to Del Rio - 51 miles total. Russ and I backtracked to Langtry which was about 20 miles outside our campground. Then Dawn took over biking and I drove into Del Rio. The wind had died down and it was an enjoyable ride. The biggest blunder for the day was that Russ overshot the campground by about 10 miles and didn't know where we were camping. He forgot to take his cell phone with him but Sue saved the day and rode down the way into town to find him. All finally ended well.

March 28 - Del Rio to Bracketville (Fort Clark Park) Since it was a rather short ride day, I drove the motor home the 44 miles to Bracketville. Fort Clark is an old fort that was privatized around 1950. The fort is on the historical register and most of the old buildings are now privately owned. About 1700 folks live there full time now and it is a community within itself. It was interesting wondering around the old buildings. Patton was there in 1946-1947 and we saw the house where he lived. They filmed the Alamo here with John Wayne. (Speaking of which, I am sitting outside the real Alamo now blogging because I toured the Alamo a few years back when I was in San Antonio)

March 29 - Bracketville to Camp Wood - 47 miles. What a great day of biking. Back roads with little traffic. The only excitment for the day was being chased by a sheep dog. He outran my bike and charged toward me. Luckily I survived without much incident. (The next day I bought dog spray) Also, I have never seen so much road kill. Deer mainly. Everywhere you looked in the sky you saw buzzards flying. The guys stopped to retreive atlers along the way. Our campground was along the river and we all jumped in it when we arrived. Refreshing after a long day.

March 30 - Camp Wood to Kerrville - 94 miles. The guys got messed up with our camping reservations so we had to get to Kerrville in one day. We are now in the hill country and that is no exageration. Neither Dawn nor I got to bike today because she had to get to Kerrville to the bike shop to fix a broken spoke on their tandem. I got stuck driving the motor home over the switchback hills which wasn't fun at all.

Roll'en through Texas

Ipti joins our group along with Sue and Bob from Hoods Canal

March 27 - Sanderson to Langtry - 57 miles. Last night Sue and Bob flew in from Washington so Sue could bike with us for 10 days. (Bob is driving a rental car and following the motor home) Not knowing exactly where we would be on our route, they flew into Houston and had to drive 500 miles west to catch us. When they leave us, we should be east of Houston so they will return to the airport from the east.

A few days ago we spotted a gal riding solo fully loaded. When I passed her on the road driving the motor home I was wondering how she could carry such a load. It so happened that she pulled into the same campground in Sanderson so we struck up a friendship. Since she was heading the same direction we were, I offered to carry her load in the motor home and then she could bike with the group. (I was driving first) She stayed two days with us until we hit Del Rio and not only was she a great cook, she had an adventure to share. Her name was Ibti and she had been on the road for almost a year. She quit her teaching job in Washington DC and wanted to circumnavigate the United States and study sustainable farming. So far she had ridded from the east coast to the west, down the west coast, across the southern tier and is now finally going up the east coast, heading home. (So far over 5000 miles on her bike) She would stop at farms along the way and offer to help to learn more about food production and farming. Since she is an english teacher, I asked if she was planning to write a book but she said that she wasn't sure but kept a blog from her Blackberry. You can follow her at http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com The interesting part of her story is that she wasn't a cyclist before this trip. Biking was just her means of transportation and her real interest is farming. She left us to head south and finally back home by mid July.

Footnote: I was a good thing that we carried her gear because we had a tremendous head wind all day which took its tole on us all. We ended the day at Judge Roy Beam's salon in Langtry. Dawn and I split the day riding.